Raising the age of custody of children to 18 years for separated mothers is a legitimate demand that has to be enforced

Date 2021-08-11

LOCATION Gaza

Category Gaza / Core Program / position paper

H.E. Respected President of the Supreme Court: Sheikh Hassan Ali Jojo

Respected Ministry of Women’s Affairs / Gaza

Subject: raising the age of the child custody of the separated mothers for their children to 18 years, is an enforceable legitimate demand

MUSAWA - The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession greets you while pointing out the increasing demand to raise the child custody age for the separate mothers for their children to 18 years whose case are purely humanitarian, as most of them are exposed to further violence and inflexibility that deprive them from their child custody, Those mother are often victims of frequent domestic violence which damages their physical and human dignity, to the contrary of the best interest of children. All of this happens under silence and official ignoring of their demands and their legitimate protests adopted by all institutions and community activities interested on child and women's rights among which MUSAWA center, which prompts you according to this memo to take all procedures, including the issuance of regulations and instructions that ensure separated mother’s right to their children's custody until they reach the age of 18, which protects the best interest of children and prevents the infringement of their physical and human dignity.

We also ask you to study the views and demands of separate mothers and listen to their needs and suffering and find appropriate solutions and exits that enable them to have their right to child custody of their children and provide protection for them and their children required by the best interest of the child and their children. This will prevent them and their children from being recurrent victims of domestic violence.

Taking into consideration that raising the age of child custody provides the environment that enables children in the growth and development they are entitled to according to national law, doctrines and international treaties that have been acceded by the State of Palestine which is bound by their provisions as a security valve for the community unity and its present and future peace, demanding that your responses to the rights and enforcement of maternal rights.

Demanding a declaration of your responsive procedures for the rights of separated women and enforcing them according to principles.

With due respect

Issued on: 11/08/2021

MUSAWA